Written Answers Tuesday 18 April 2006

Scottish Executive

Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14019 by Hugh Henry on 25 February 2005, how many times the provisions for (a) anti-social behaviour orders for under-16s, (b) dispersal orders, (c) closure notices, (d) fixed penalty notices for noise nuisance, (e) anti-social behaviour notices, (f) parenting orders, (g) restriction of liberty orders for under-16s and (h) charges of people selling spray paint to under-16s have been used since the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 received Royal Assent.

Hugh Henry: Information on use of the measures in the act, up to the end of September 2005, is shown in the following table. This is the latest data available. The next set of data will be available in the summer.

  

 Measure
 Granted


 Antisocial behaviour order for under 16s (commenced October 2004)
 2


 Dispersal Orders (commenced October 2004)
 3


 Closure Orders (commenced October 2004)
 9


 Fixed Penalty Notices for Noise Nuisance (commenced February 2005)
 33


 Antisocial Behaviour Notices
 This measure does not come into force until April 2006


 Parenting Orders (available since April 2005)
 0


 Restriction of Liberty Orders (available since April 2005)
 1


 Ban of sale of spray paint to under 16s (commenced October 2005)
 This information is not held centrally

Broadcasting

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the cost-effectiveness of its public information broadcasts.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive procures television and radio airtime through its contracted media buyer, Mediacom, who are responsible for purchasing cost effective media pertinent to the target audience for the campaign in question.

Broadcasting

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken a comparison of the cost-effectiveness of its public service broadcasts in the south of Scotland and the rest of Scotland and, if so, what the conclusion was.

Mr Tom McCabe: We continually review the cost-effectiveness of all of our media platforms to ensure that we use the right media to reach the relevant audience for each of our campaigns.

  The south of Scotland is covered in a number of ways including television (Channels 4 and 5), radio (Radio Borders and Westsound) and press (Tweeddale Press Group and Dumfries and Galloway Group).

  We do not currently use Border TV as it is not competitive in both cost and reach.

Child Care

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the negative aspects of Sure Start Scotland, as referred to in Sure Start Scotland Mapping Exercise 2004 and supporting communications.

Robert Brown: The Sure Start Scotland Mapping Exercise 2004 , published on 22 December 2005, provided a detailed picture of the expansion of Sure Start Scotland services since 2001 and their impact on children and families. The complete findings of the researchers are available on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/21153916/39170 .

Child Care

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding for Sure Start services has come from outside funding streams, such as through the Health Improvement Strategy, expressed as a percentage of the total funding for Sure Start.

Robert Brown: Scottish Executive funding for Sure Start Scotland currently stands at £56.9 million (2006-07). However, given the cross-cutting nature and objectives of activity funded through Sure Start – around 70% of which combines Sure Start resources with funding from a range of other sources, such as the Changing Children’s Services Fund or the Health Improvement Fund – it is not possible to state the proportion of outside funding which supports Sure Start services.

Child Care

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12191 by Euan Robson on 24 November 2004, whether it has received a report of the research commissioned by the Social Work Inspectorate into kinship care in Scotland; whether the report has yet been published and, if not, why the Executive has not fulfilled its commitment to publish it.

Robert Brown: Scottish ministers have not yet received this report but expect to receive it as part of the supporting documents to the review of services and outcomes for Looked After Children being undertaken by the Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA).

  We understand that SWIA are currently finalising their review and making plans for a publication date.

Defence

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact a reported drop in recruitment levels in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, resulting in a possible reduction from five battalions to three in five years, would have on the Scottish economy over that time period.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact a reported drop in recruitment levels in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, resulting in a possible reduction from five battalions to four within a year, would have on the Scottish economy over the same period.

Allan Wilson: Defence is a reserved matter. The Ministry of Defence have not announced any plans to reduce the number of battalions from Scotland beyond the five battalions that will be created by the merger of The Royal Scots Battalion and The King’s Own Scottish Borderers on 1 August 2006.

Emergency Planning

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-17434 by Hugh Henry on 21 June 2005, what additional support it is making available to emergency planning strategic co-ordinating groups so that they can continue to lead improvements in civil protection capabilities.

Cathy Jamieson: Hugh Henry explained our intention to make funding available for co-ordinator posts in each of the eight strategic co-ordinating groups across Scotland to support their crucial role in implementing the statutory duties imposed by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. At that time, two areas’ proposals for co-ordinator posts had been approved (Dumfries and Galloway and Central). I am pleased to announce that proposals from all eight areas have now been approved and that all the posts are expected to be filled by the end of May at a total annual cost of £430,000.

Environment

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £20 million that the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget for seedcorn finance for the first enterprise capital fund for the environment will be allocated to Scotland.

Mr Tom McCabe: There is no specific allocation of resources to Scotland in respect of this initiative. The Enterprise Capital Funds are being financed by the UK Government and will operate across the UK, extending the funding options available to Scottish companies. Decisions on individual investments will be a commercial decision for the relevant fund managers.

Further Education

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise will continue to be able to provide funding for young people up to the age of 25 to obtain an SVQ at level 2 when age discrimination regulations come into effect in the United Kingdom and whether employers will thereafter be required to offer the same training opportunities to workers aged 25 and older.

Allan Wilson: This is a matter of operational responsibility for the Enterprise Networks. We will continue to work with the Enterprise Networks and colleagues in the DTI to ensure that all Government training programmes comply with the forthcoming age discrimination legislation.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many arm’s length bodies have been (a) established and (b) dissolved since 1999 and what the total costs of establishment or dissolution were in each case.

Mr Tom McCabe: Detailed information on arm’s length bodies classified as non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) is contained on the public bodies and appointments pages of the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/government/publicbodies/ .

  Prior to the website’s establishment, detailed information on public bodies was published in the annual Cabinet Office document Public Bodies. Copies of this document are available from:

  http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/agencies-publicbodies/.

  The following table shows the number of public bodies from 1999 to 2005 and records the changes which have taken place during this period.

  

 Public Bodies: Number
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005


 Executive
 38
 38
 38
 39
 34
 33
 34


 Advisory
 56
 53
 51
 48
 47
 45
 46


 Tribunals
 36
 35
 36
 35
 35
 35
 35


 Health Service
 50
 52
 52
 26
 25
 24
 24


 Nationalised Industries
 3
 3
 3
 2
 2
 2
 2


 Public Corporations
 3
 3
 3
 1
 1
 1
 1


 Total
 186
 184
 183
 151
 144
 140
 142



  The number of public bodies in Scotland currently stands at 140.

  Specific information on the total costs associated with the creation or dissolution of NDPBs is not held centrally.

Parliamentary Questions

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide substantive answers to parliamentary questions S2W-23400, S2W-23402, S2W-23403, S2W-23404 and S2W-23405 on advertising in various Scottish printed media, which received holding replies on 8 March 2006.

Mr Tom McCabe: Substantive answers to parliamentary questions S2W-23400, S2W-23402, S2W-23403, S2W-23404 and S2W-23405 were provided on 23 March 2006.

Parliamentary Questions

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why it has not yet provided substantive answers to parliamentary questions S2W-23400, S2W-23402, S2W-23403, S2W-23404 and S2W-23405 on advertising in various Scottish printed media, given that parliamentary questions S2W-22911, S2W-22912, S2W-22913, S2W-22914 and S2W-23401 on advertising in other Scottish printed media were answered in a shorter timescale.

Mr Tom McCabe: Substantive answers to parliamentary questions S2W-23400, S2W-23402, S2W-32403, S2W-23404 and S2W-23405 were provided on 23 March 2006. I apologise to the member for the delay in responding which occurred due to an error in allocation.

Recycling

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to the West of Scotland parliamentary region area from 2003-04 to 2007-08 in respect of (a) supporting recycling and (b) improving recycling facilities.

Ross Finnie: The amounts provided to local authorities in the West of Scotland parliamentary region to improve recycling and divert waste from landfill are shown in the following table:

  

 Council
2003-04 (£)
2004-05 (£)
2005-06 (£)
2006-07 (£)
2007-08
(£)
 Total


 Argyll and Bute
 1,653,710
 2,880,710
 3,598,826
 3,019,710
 3,017,710
 14,170,666


 East Dunbartonshire
 212,400
 2,147,600
 1,831,500
 1,302,000
 1,288,000
 6,781,500


 East Renfrewshire
 665,000
 633,000
 1,269,500
 1,032,000
 1,089,000
 4,688,500


 Inverclyde
 67,000
 1,220,924
 1,685,398
 369,182
 377,682
 3,720,186


 North Ayrshire
 314,000
 2,031,000
 1,179,500
 1,682,000
 1,179,000
 6,385,500


 Renfrewshire
 0
 2,425,000
 3,065,500
 1,381,000
 1,343,000
 8,214,500


 West Dunbartonshire
 61,817
 1,751,000
 2,700,184
 918,563
 1,061,000
 6,492,564


 Total
 2,973,927
 13,089,234
 15,330,408
 9,704,455
 9,355,392
 50,453,416

Recycling

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the way in which funding allocated to support recycling and improve recycling facilities is spent.

Ross Finnie: We require local authorities to complete quarterly returns in relation to their spend and performance under the Strategic Waste Fund. We also monitor local authority recycling rates using the Scottish Environment Protection Agency quarterly data on waste and recycling, which can be found at:

  http://www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/returns.htm.

  More generally, local authorities are subject to audits from Audit Scotland. Audit Scotland ensures that organisations that spend public money use it properly, efficiently and effectively. Their audits check whether public bodies manage their finances to the highest standards and achieve the best possible value for public money. Audit Scotland are also carrying out a study this year on waste management.

Scottish Executive

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures it has in place to ensure that its decisions result in benefit and compliance across its departments.

Mr Tom McCabe: A range of measures are in place to ensure that our decisions result in benefit and compliance across Scottish Executive departments. Policy and legislative proposals are subject to wide consultation, impact assessment - including with reference to key cross-cutting themes, and parliamentary scrutiny. Once implemented, the impact of decisions is subject to on-going assessment and evaluation. Specific systems are in place to monitor and support the implementation of decisions across all departments, including, for example, through the role of the Scottish Executive Delivery Unit. I hold regular stocktaking meetings with portfolio ministers and provide updates on progress to Cabinet.

Scottish Executive Advertising

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30754 by Mr Andy Kerr of 7 February 2003, what the cost was of each of its public information campaigns in each year since 2002-03, broken down into (a) press, (b) radio (by network), (c) TV (by region), (d) production, (e) ambient and (f) cinema advertising.

Mr Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-15204 on 12 April 2005 which details the reconciled spend for 2003-04, to answers S2W-1857 and S2W-2481 for 2002-03 spend by department and campaign and the answer to question S1W-26485 on 3 July 2002 providing information on advertising spend by the Scottish Office/Scottish Executive Departments from 1991-92 to 2001-02.

  Information on the Executive’s advertising spend for 2004-05 by department and campaign can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/media/17963/adspend05.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  Scottish Executive advertising spend for 1 August 2004 to 31 March 2006 by campaign for Radio (by network) and TV (by region) is detailed in the following tables:

  Radio by Network, 1 August 2004 to 31 March 2005

  

 Campaign
SRH/Emap
 Gcap
 First
 GMG*
 Impact
 Kingdom
 Saga
 Opus
 Awaz
 NECR**


 Alcohol
 
 8,873
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Anti-Social Behaviour
 54,687
 6,512
 
 17,355
 979
 
 
 6,056
 
 677


 Broadband
 208,570
 26,034
 
 67,253
 
 
 
 30,053
 
 


 Care 
 41,904
 3,943
 
 
 
 
 
 
 700
 


 Children’s Charter
 5,324
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Child Protection on the Internet
 13,295
 
 
 15,107
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Domestic Abuse
 59,631
 
 
 
 
 
 2,265
 
 
 


 Drink Drive
 42,424
 7,062
 
 11,187
 
 1,549
 
 
 
 


 Drug Drive
 21,251
 4,242
 
 7,138
 
 986
 
 
 
 


 Drug Misuse
 11,293
 9,829
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 E-Coli
 17,159
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Flu
 36,505
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Health Service Recruitment/ NHS Careers
 54,738
 10,165
 
 9,775
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Organ Donation
 
 
 
 13,076
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Race
 68,611
 13,566
 
 23,244
 
 2,752
 4,370
 
 
 


 Travel Awareness
 22,672
 5,300
 
 
 
 3,882
 6,000
 
 
 


 Young Driver
 26,812
 4,648
 
 7,252
 
 794
 
 
 
 


 Total
 684,876
 100,174
 
 171,387
 979
 9,963
 12,635
 36,109
 700
 677



  Radio by Network 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006

  

 Campaign
SRH/Emap
 Gcap
 First
 GMG*
 Impact
 Kingdom
 Saga
 Opus
 Awaz
 NECR**


 Alcohol
 38,871
 7,692
 
 
 
 2,254
 
 
 
 383


 Children’s Hearings
 26,400
 4,132
 
 7,269
 
 
 1,204
 
 
 


 Domestic Abuse
 38,223
 8,842
 661
 15,138
 
 
 2,904
 
 
 


 Drug Misuse
 71,573
 63,277
 403
 6,875
 2,613
 1,766
 
 
 
 


 Fire
 29,238
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Health Service Recruitment/ NHS Careers
 38,282
 6,183
 
 10,502
 
 
 5,495
 
 585
 735


 Race
 64,169
 13,619
 927
 23,750
 
 1,859
 4,572
 
 975
 


Road Safety(Drink Drive/Drug Drive)
 40,190
 7,119
 227
 11,913
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Smoking
 42,586
 9,087
 911
 15,931
 
 1,743
 
 
 
 


 Teacher Recruitment
 73,968
 8,397
 
 26,426
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Volunteering
 44,621
 
 
 14,401
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Total
 508,121
 128,348
 3,129
 132,205
 2,613
 7,622
 14,175
 
 1,560
 1,118



  Notes:

  * Guardian Media Group.

  ** North East Community Radio.

  TV by Region 1 August 2004 to 31 March 2005

  

 Campaign
 Setanta
 SMG (Scottish/Grampian)
 Border
 C4 Scot
 Five Scot


 Broadband
 
 66,391
 6,052
 108,937
 44,957


 Domestic Abuse
 
 
 
 56,570
 11,680


 Drugs
 
 46,300
 
 31,000
 23,673


 Environment
 
 
 
 62,906
 16,239


 Fire
 
 
 
 59,955
 9,720


 Flu/Pneumoccal
 
 81,088
 7,392
 30,240
 1,226


 Fools Speed
 
 
 
 103,864
 44,249


 Healthy Living
 
 93,800
 7,300
 90,711
 32,882


 Race
 
 
 
 54,651
 37,773


 Violence against Public Sector Workers
 
 65,739
 5,923
 23,086
 0


 Total
 
 353858
 26,667
 621,920
 222,399



  TV by Region, 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006

  

 Campaign
 Setanta
 SMG (Scottish/Grampian)
 Border
 C4 Scot
 Five Scot


 Alcohol
 
 98,600
 
 31,960
 5,440


 Domestic Abuse
 
 57,420
 
 18,612
 3,168


 Drugs
 
 130,745
 
 45,015
 7,740


 Fire
 
 186,151
 
 23,971
 4,080


 Flu/Pneumoccal
 
 108,244
 
 35,084
 5,972


 Smoking
 8,000
 147,592
 
 46,233
 8,076


 Healthy Living
 
 370,108
 
 88,525
 15,067


 Health Service Recruitment/ NHS Careers
 
 77,575
 
 25,145
 4,280


 Race
 17,500
 211,344
 
 66,097
 11,560


 Road Safety (Foolsspeed)
 
 145,073
 
 47,023
 8,004


 Sustainable Development/Environment
 
 97,000
 
 
 


 Violence against Public Sector Workers
 
 77,575
 
 25,145
 4,280


 Total
 25,500
 1,707,427
 
 452,810
 77,667



  The information on spend for the period November 2002 to 31 March 2003 is no longer held by our previous media buying agency. However, for the 2003-2004 prior to 31 July 2004 the information can obtained at cost from the agency.

Scottish Executive Procurement

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of its budget is spent on goods and services originally sourced from Ireland.

Mr Tom McCabe: This information is not collected centrally.

Scottish Water

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has established from Scottish Water how many development sites in local plans are constrained by a lack of water and sewerage infrastructure and whether it will provide an estimate of the number of houses which could be provided on established housing land supplies which are rendered non-effective by such constraints, in total and broken down by local authority area, what proportion of housing land supply sites will be rendered effective by the £167 million given to Scottish Water for removing constraints arising from a lack of "strategic infrastructure" and how many houses could be provided on these sites.

Rhona Brankin: This information is not held centrally and would have to be collated from respectively Scottish Water (SW) and individual local authorities. SW’s first Annual Strategic Asset Capacity and Development Plan was issued on Friday 31 March to local authorities and bodies representing the development industry. Its purpose is to provide greater clarity about current infrastructure capacity and on future plans to enable housing and commercial development to proceed.

  Ministers have set SW the specific objective of meeting the strategic capacity requirements of all estimated development. They require SW to provide sufficient strategic capacity to allow a minimum of 60,000 new housing units and 2,025 hectares of new commercial land to be connected to the public network between 2006 and 2010 and a further minimum of 60,000 new housing units and 2,025 hectares of new commercial land to be connected between 2010 and 2014. This is in addition to SW’s current assessment of strategic capacity, contained in the above plan, which it believes is sufficient to allow nearly 73,000 new housing units and 2,500 hectares of new commercial land to be connected. Further, ministers have committed to reviewing their objectives should this prove necessary.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Scottish Parliament Building

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S2W-22132 by Kenny MacAskill on 18 January 2006 in respect of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, whether it is now in a position to provide details of the Parliament's energy performance and, if not, when it anticipates that the information will be available.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Building Standards Agency is about to consult on proposals for energy performance certification in terms of the EU Directive on the energy performance of buildings. When the outcome of the consultation is known and full guidance is issued, the Parliament will calculate its energy performance rating. We aim to complete this in 2007, as we anticipate that the complexity of the parliament building will require the use of a detailed simulation model. A detailed simulation model has yet to be developed and adopted as a part of the UK methodology arrangements.